About the Visual Arts Conservatory

The Visual Arts Conservatory offers students the opportunity to learn fine art studio techniques, as well as improve upon existing artistic skills. Students will explore both traditional art making methods and innovative, cutting-edge art practices. Visual Arts students follow a schedule of core requirements, then have the opportunity to choose college-level elective classes. The result is that Visual Arts students build a college-level art portfolio that reflects talent, skill, and professionalism, along with a personal narrative body of work. This program is designed for students who love to make art of any kind, including drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and graphic design, as well as computer design and computer illustration or animation. The Visual Arts Conservatory offers four tracks that students can begin pursuing in their sophomore year, including Pictorial Art, Spatial Art, Digital Media Art, and Studio Art. Click here to learn more about these tracks.

Student Experience

In the Visual Arts Conservatory, students are immersed in a creative and challenging environment, where they learn how to properly use art materials and implement good craftsmanship. They focus on the fundamentals of art-making, such as color theory and the principles of good design. Each grade level has fundamental requirements to ensure that all students have a strong drawing and color foundation before they move on to advanced classes.

  • “My conservatory experience has been nothing short of fantastic. Through my Visual Arts classes, I have formed incredible friendships with people who share similar ambitions and artistic visions as myself, which pushes me as a person and an artist.”
    Ruby McClure – Class of 2021
  • “I have learned how to mix the right colors, expand my mediums to animation, Photoshop, figure drawing, printmaking, watercolor, and oils, and so much more. I love coming home every day with paint on my hands and new ideas brewing in my mind. I have learned so much and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
    Melayna Smith – Class of 2020
  • “The creative freedom every student has to explore their own art and their own ideas while forming solid foundations and technical skills truly helps prepare every student for whatever their future artistic endeavors may be.”
    Maximus Silva – Class of 2022

Preparing Students for the Future

Visual Arts Conservatory faculty members focus on preparing students to pursue a secondary education in the arts by utilizing a four or six-year curriculum path that culminates with the production of an outstanding college entrance art portfolio. The goal is to help each individual student get to where they choose to go next – whether that be an art conservatory, a university art program, any art-related professional position, or to apply the creative skills learned in the Visual Arts Conservatory to another field of interest in higher education. Upon graduation, Visual Arts students will be prepared to attend a four-year university or arts conservatory program, as well as enter the commercial illustration and design industries.